Not Always Meant To Be
by Shillan Seva
Summary: Bella is changed as a violent act of revenge and now she plans to live her life in the same manner under the direction of the Volturi kings. But they send her to guard a coven where Isabella meets an unexpected surprise. Bella x Tanya but starts with some Bella x Victoria. (slowburn) This is a rewrite of a fic that I posted on another account and pulled down.
1. Chapter 1

Bella was changed as an act of violent revenge. Her maker used her death to torture those who cared for her and in the murky clarity of her newborn rage, Bella tore her maker limb from limb. She was so blind in her fury that the one breathing creature on this planet with a connection to her was the first victim of her newborn vengeance and she reveled in it. If she had remembered the price of vampire death, her maker would have died a gruesome, fiery death. Bella remembered watching the light fade from her makers eyes and it sent a thrill through her body that she had never felt before.

She spent the first week of her newborn life in a blood-filled haze. She killed more humans in that week than the entirety of the Cullen clan had killed in all of their years combined with the possible exception of Jasper. And after gorging herself on the blood of the guilty and innocent alike, her rage calmed. Maybe it was the fact that she was changed so violently or the anger that poisoned her veins but she never truly understood what caused this episode of newborn insanity.

It was after this week that Bella fully realized what she was. She could feel the strength in her limbs now, a strength that could break stone. She could feel the wind move against her skin but she was never touched by the cold. She could see the particles that floated through the air around her and smell a city twenty miles off.

The calmness that overtook her was a startling comparison to her orientation into the supernatural world. She would often flutter her eyes shut to just breathe in the world around her. After the calming of her rage, the world held an immense beauty to Bella. It was no longer a world fraught with danger. It was now a world waiting to be conquered. Bella often wondered how something so unnatural as herself was allowed to be at peace with her world.

Despite her unnaturalness, Bella liked who she was now. Gone was the Bella who tripped on air and cut herself on pillows. In her place was Isabella, a force to be reckoned with.

After her week of madness, Isabella had wandered. First the Pacific Northwest but after finding the scent of her likely healed and reformed maker, Isabella held no inclination to stay.

Her first year as a vampire was spent as a nomad traveling from one city to another. Not ready to run into others of her kind, Isabella stuck to crowded areas where she could hunt without notice. Her only experience with other vampires had been the Cullens and James and Victoria. Neither group, in hindsight, were too impressive to her changed mind but she didn't want the trouble regardless. And with Victoria still alive, the further she could get from the Olympic Peninsula, the better. Isabella could admire Victoria's need for revenge but she felt no desire to be on the receiving end of it again. Though now she was sure she could give as much back.

It was nearly a year and a half before Bella's past finally caught up with her. She was just finishing off a kill in one of the more dangerous areas of Chicago when the very vampire she had been avoiding dropped down to see her.

"You are a hard woman to keep track of my dear," Victoria said smirking darkly at the other woman.

"Victoria," Isabella barely breathed her name.

"My, my," Victoria spoke. "Vampirism certainly does suit you doesn't it." She circled Isabella slowly until she was in front of her, only inches away. "You look..." She paused and leaned in. "Delectable."

She tried to ignore the fire that Victoria's voice lit in her stomach. Whether it was lust or bloodlust she couldn't tell and she wasn't prepared to find out either way. Isabella would have been an idiot not admit that she found Victoria attractive. Even human Bella could have admitted that but that didn't mean anything about their relationship.

"What do you want, Victoria?" Isabella growled.

"Ooh, I do so love how you say my name," Victoria giggled as she backed up. "Can't I just want to see how my little changling is doing?"

"After I tore you to pieces, I'm surprised you care," Isabella drawled mockingly. She held back a smirk when Victoria growled under her breath.

"Well yes dear," Victoria said. She began to circle Isabella again. "That did hurt my feelings. But after I pulled myself back together, I realized something."

Isabella didn't respond, only watched as her sire circled her like a cat with its prey. She was growing bored of this and crossed her arms over her chest to tell Victoria to get on with it.

"You and I," Victoria said pointing back and forth between them, "have a common goal."

"Oh really," Isabella deadpanned.

"We both want to destroy the Cullens."

Isabella narrowed her eyes at Victoria. Sure she hated them probably as much as Victoria did but she hadn't even considered going after them. They hadn't wanted her so why should she try to find them?

"And how do you propose we do that?" Isabella said raising an eyebrow at the red-head.

"The Volturi." A sinister smile found its way onto Victoria's face as she spoke. Isabella had a vague recollection of who the Volturi were. Carlisle had a painting of them on the wall of his office and Edward had said they were the rulers of vampire kind.

"Why would the Volturi even care Victoria?" Isabella said. "It's not like I'm still human."

"Exactly," she said moving closer to Isabella again causing her to tense. Victoria ran a hand along her cheek and down her arm and Isabella tried to remain stoic but shivered under the gesture. "I had to change you...I did. Not your dear Cullens. Not the vampires who told you we existed. They left you, a human, alone with the knowledge of what we are. Your family left you to die."

Isabella felt herself snap as she slammed Victoria into the brick wall beside her. Dust raced down its side as cracks formed around Victoria's body. "They are not my anything," Isabella ground out.

"Then prove it."

Isabella found herself flying at the woman in front of her but not to kill. For something else entirely. Maybe it was the mixture of a fresh feed and the raging hormones still coursing through her newborn body but Isabella found herself unable to hold back on her lust any longer. There had been moments in the previous year where she had almost given in and slept with a human before she killed them but the desire had never been strong enough. Now it's all she felt. Isabella pushed down the feeling of disgust she held for Victoria in favor of ravaging the woman who infuriated her so.

Unable to contain the excitement of the newborn, Victoria had to pick her up off the ground and carry her out of the city before they had gone too far but once there was no longer a beating heart within ear shot, all bets were off and Isabella lost herself in the lust only a newborn could feel.

Victoria knew this was only happening because of their maker bond. There was no emotion involved except hate. Isabella only found her a suitable target to release her frustrations on because they already had a bond, as tenuous as it was.

It was nearing dawn of the next day before Isabella finally fell out of her frenzy. She felt ashamed for what she had done but there was no way she would ever let Victoria know that. The woman infuriated her and this would only give her more fuel to add to the fire.

After laying on ground for an hour catching her breath, Isabella turned her head over to find Victoria watching her like the cat that got the cream. She could only roll her eyes in response and began the search for her bag or at least some piece of clothing that hadn't gotten torn in the madness.

"I guess what they say about newborns is true." Isabella could practically feel the smirk that was on Victoria's face. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of a response. "Do you know what they say about newborns?" Victoria pushed.

"What Victoria?" Isabella asked. "What the fuck do they say about newborns?"

"My, what language," Victoria said in mock offense. "They say that newborns are like the energizer bunny and can go for hours, always so eager to please."

Isabella felt an arm start to wrap around her waist but she pushed it off and walked toward the bag she found discarded in the bushes. She pulled out a set of clothes and slid them on before looking back at Victoria who still remained stark naked.

"You gonna get dressed?" Isabella asked turning away from the other woman.

"Mm, no," Victoria said. "I quite like being naked and besides, little one, you tore ever piece of clothing I had to shreds."

Isabella chucked a pair of pants and a spare t-shirt she had in the bag at Victoria. They were about the same size so she figured they would do well enough. "How are we getting to Volterra?" Isabella asked.

"Well," Victoria giggled. "If you can keep your pants on long enough, we can run to New York and get a flight to Italy from there but if that is too taxing for your little newborn thirst, then we could always swim. I do hate what the salt water does to my hair though."

"How long is the flight?" Isabella asked weighing her options.

"Long enough." Victoria smirked. Isabella sighed. Either she suffered in a locked up flying death trap for god knows how many hours or she has to deal with Victoria complaining about her hair for just as many if not more hours. Isabella was beginning to think that she should have remembered to set Victoria on fire before leaving the bunker she'd been turned in.

"I need to hunt," Isabella grumbled before stalking off towards the city they'd been in the night before. She would have to avoid the same district but it was lucky that it was cloudy enough that day she could hunt in the daylight. She made her way down to a train yard on the south side of Chicago and bummed her way through a couple of cars before finding a couple of men who were neither rail workers or train conductors.

She made quick work of them and quickly buried their bodies before returning to the area where she had left Victoria that morning. It wasn't more than another hour or so before Victoria returned donning a new wardrobe complete with backpack that no doubt held more. The older vampire disdainfully tossed the clothes Isabella had lent her into her lap before turning to run off again. Isabella quickly followed suit and they raced their way across the northern United States before finally making it to New York.

Isabella would never admit it but she actually enjoyed racing Victoria. Maybe if Victoria hadn't tortured her to death, she wouldn't hate the vampire nearly as much. Hate sex was one thing but actually enjoying Victoria's company was one thing she would never accept.

They managed to get plane tickets after smooth talking an airline worker into paying themselves and then quickly hid themselves in among the crowds with aids of hoodies and sunglasses to cover their features. Anything to keep the attention off of them and in the well lit and windowed halls of JFK, sunglasses weren't the most unusual thing for people to wear.

Boarding the flight had Isabella antsy. She had never been around so many humans in her newborn life and even just waiting to get on the plane was testing her control. By the time they boarded the flight Isabella's eyes were pitch black. The entire eight hour flight from New York to Rome, Victoria had to hold Isabella's arm to the chair just to remind her to keep control. Eventually Victoria decided distraction would be a better method and took to touching Isabella and teasing her. For the most part it worked until about five hours into the flight Isabella had had enough teasing and had dragged Victoria back to the lavatory to join the mile high club. And while it had done wonders to relieve the tension building in Isabella, it did nothing to quench the burning thirst. Victoria had no qualms about letting her drain the entire economy class but she would prefer their plane make it to the ground before Isabella drained the pilot and copilot as well so she figured it was just better to keep the newborn distracted in the lavatory and ignore the irritated knocks that occasionally stirred them from their haze.

By the time, they landed in Rome, Isabella was sexually sated and Victoria was as close to exhausted as a vampire could ever be. She almost would have rather taken the salt water beating to her hair than that again but the teasing material she had gained made it all worth it. It did make Victoria curious though. Isabella was awfully quick to accept her as a sexual partner considering all of the pain Victoria had put her through. Honestly, Victoria thought she would have held more of a grudge but then again maybe she was just underestimating the sex drive of a newborn vampire. It had been well over four hundred years since her own change, maybe she had just forgotten how desperate it could get sometimes.

The minute they exited the airport, both headed off to hunt. Isabella out of desperate need, Victoria so that she could keep an eye on the near-frenzied newborn. She resented the girl but was also beginning to feel an unusual fondness for her, one she blamed completely on the complicated bond between a maker and their childe. By the time they had finished it was nearing dawn again and they hunkered down outside the city in a vineyard hoping the shadows cast by the vines would be enough to hide the shine from their skin. Victoria decided that this was the time to clear the air between them.

"Bella-" Victoria started but was cut off by Isabella correcting her.

"It's Isabella now."

"Isabella," Victoria said rolling the name across her tongue.

"Yes Victoria?" Isabella said smugly.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" Victoria asked bluntly. She watched the wide-eyed look on Isabella's face as she contemplated her answer. Isabella was going to, back in that alley. Victoria could tell that much. If she hadn't distracted the newborn, she would probably be dead right now. There was no way she could fight against a newborn's strength but not even her gift had thought she was in danger from Isabella.

"Because I guess I get it?" Isabella finally said. "We did kill your mate. And we broke up your coven." Isabella paused and looked down at the ground. "You were right. A mate for a mate. It just turns out he wasn't my mate," Isabella said as she pulled her knees up into herself. "I'm sorry they killed James."

Victoria was stunned silent. If there was any answer, she expected it to be pawned off on newborn in-discrepancies and lust. The last thing she expected was an apology. She had literally tortured human Bella to death and she was still apologizing. Victoria inched herself closer to Isabella before laying an arm across the newborn's shoulders. She flinched briefly but accepted the comfort. "James was an ass," Victoria conceded with a laugh.

Victoria didn't know if this meant anything for their relationship now. Isabella should have killed her. Maybe she still would but for now they had a common goal. Revenge on the Cullens.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day found Isabella and Victoria wandering through the sewers of Volterra. They had caught a mass of different vampires' scents all conglomerated around a man hole no more than half a mile from the Volturi's castle, and, having no other leads, they popped the lid off and dropped down to follow the trail.

It led them on for several minutes before they arrived at a dead end blocked by a stone door, intricately carved with golden accents. The Volturi's emblem was emblazoned in the carvings and Isabella took no time to examine them. Rather, she braced her weight against the cold stone and pushed it open. It groaned under the stress but opened to reveal a strikingly modern waiting room. Victoria nearly laughed at the elevator music that piped through the speakers overhead and Isabella had to blink several times just adjust her eyes to the bright fluorescent lights overhead.

In front of them sat a woman with long brown hair and knowing brown eyes. At the Isabella and Victoria's entrance, the woman looked up from her desk and watched them as they observed their surroundings.

"Do you need something?" she finally called breaking the silence. Her voice was much huskier than Isabella anticipated and the mesmerizing thud of her heart nearly made the newborn forget why they had come here in the first place. The woman's smell was enticing and Isabella was still recovering from the effects that they flight had on her sensibilities. She took a deep breath and then a step towards the human, eyes darkening significantly before a hand on her forearm shook her from her stupor. A knowing smirk from Victoria made Isabella growl at the other vampire before she finally spoke.

"You're human," Isabella asked. She quirked an eyebrow at the woman but held her breath to prevent a reminder of just how human.

"And you're not." It wasn't a question. Upon seeing the responding confusion flicker in Isabella's eyes, she continued, "very few who come here are human. In fact, no human could make it through that door."

Isabella glanced at the door she'd come through and then back at the curious human. "Then what are you doing here?"

Isabella could hear Victoria snickering behind here but gave no indication that she noticed.

"I work here," she stated matter-of-factly. A small smirk lingered on her mouth. "Now what can I help you with?"

"We're here to see the kings," Victoria said from where she stood closer to the entrance. Without an answer, the woman donned a headset and made a call. From listening in on the conversation, Isabella learned that the woman's name was Gianna and that they were at the southwest entrance of the castle.

"There will be someone down to escort you in a minute," Gianna eventually said after hanging up.

Isabella moved to where Victoria stood and plopped down into a seat next to her. The thought of sitting and waiting unnerved her but standing made it to easy for her to spring herself on the unsuspecting receptionist. The ticks from her human life slowly seeped their way into her posture and she began to bounce her leg on the floor and bite her lower lip. She tried to keep her face a stoic mask but underneath her mind was inches from panic. Isabella had never dealt with this level of power before.

The click of a door opening to the left of Gianna signaled the entrance of another person. Glancing up, Isabella watched as a man entered the room. He was wearing dark burgundy robes and a silver chain with an emblem around his neck. His strut held an air of arrogance and self-importance while his eyes shown red with mischievous mirth.

"Ladies," he said when he spotted them. Isabella rolled her eyes and pulled Victoria up with her before following the man into the tunnels of the castle. He chatted with Victoria like they were old friends as they walked but Isabella had no interest in making friends so she ignored them both.

They stopped outside a set of grand double doors crafted from mahogany wood and painted in reds and blacks and golds. Isabella could hear talk on the other side of the door and was about to enter when the man, Demetri, stopped her.

"Before I can allow you to enter, I must know if you have any gifts," Demetri said. When Isabella gave him an accusatory eyebrow raise, he continued, "Standard procedure for all new visitors."

"I have no gift that I know of," Isabella said quickly. She sent a look towards Victoria who just shrugged.

"They already know me," she said.

Demetri guided them into the throne room and up to the front where three men sat across a raised dais on intricate thrones.

"Master Aro," Demetri said bowing slightly to the man in the middle. He was a man of average height and build with dark brown hair and ancient red eyes. This was a man who had seen the rise and fall of kingdoms numerous times over.

"Thank you Demetri," he said softly. His voice was higher than Isabella anticipated. "Victoria! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Victoria bowed beside her and seeing Isabella had not followed suit, she quickly grabbed the newborns arm and pulled her down. When she rose again she had on a brilliant smile in which every one of her white teeth shown in the afternoon light.

"Master Aro," she spoke. Her voice had lost all its usual haughtiness and energy. Isabella nearly did a double take to make sure it was still the same woman.

"I come here with important news," Victoria said. A smirk peaked at the end of her lips as she tried to contain her glee. "News of the Cullen coven."

"The Cullens?" A blonde man to the left of Aro had spoken. He seemed much younger than his counterpart and had sharp, angular features that contrasted starkly with his large, round eyes. His blond hair was pulled back tight in a ponytail at the back of his head giving his features an even heavier sternness.

"Yes," Victoria said. She directed her statement to the blond man and then returned her attention to Aro. "They left a human with the knowledge of our kind. They left her alive."

"Who is this human?" Aro said stepping forward. He looked like he was about to reach his hand out to Victoria but Isabella stepped forward.

"I am," she said. "I was."

Aro hummed lightly and approached Isabella. "What is your name, my dear?"

"Isabella."

"Isabella." He rolled the name across his tongue like he was tasting. "What is your story, Isabella?"

She opened her mouth to speak but Aro shook his head and grabbed her hand instead. She looked to Victoria for an answer but the only response Victoria gave was a nod telling her to just go with it.

"Nothing!" Aro proclaimed, startling half of the vampires in the room including Isabella. "I see absolutely nothing. What is your gift?"

"Gift?" she responded. "I didn't think I had a gift."

He hummed in response and continued, "You do indeed my dear Isabella. A powerful one at that. You must have some sort of shield for it completely blocks out my own ability. Do you know of my ability?"

Isabella shook her head.

"I can read every thought and memory you have had since the day you were born with a single touch of the hand. Everything you have ever experienced, I can too experience," he said. Isabella grimaced, thankful she could block his ability. "Where did you come from?"

"She is my changling, my lord," Victoria said. "When the Cullens left her with the knowledge of our kind, I changed her myself."

"Well that was certainly quick thinking on your part," Aro said. A glaze had come over his eyes and they gleamed manically at Isabella. He returned to Victoria and clutched her hand much the same way he had Isabella's. When his eyes popped back open, his grin had gone from wicked to nearly feral. "My, my... It seems we do have some grievances to correct."

He returned his attention to Isabella once again. "You would make an excellent guard," he said. "Have you considered joining our coven? With control you possessed even during your change, you could become remarkable."

"How much of my change did you see?" Isabella asked suddenly worried. She had almost killed Victoria, would they punish her for that? They would never punish a vampire for torturing a human but surely there was some law against killing their own kind.

"All of it, my dear." He grinned sickeningly at her as he enjoyed what he had seen while Isabella was thrown into a memory she would sooner have forgotten.

* * *

 _White hot pain tore through her body. The vampire was slowly killing Bella, who couldn't concentrate on anything more than the pain. She was sure there wasn't a bone left in her body that hadn't been shattered._

 _Somewhere in Bella's burning mind, she could hear movement as she prepared herself for whatever would be the next instrument of torture._

 _This was the Cullens' fault. This was EDWARD's fault. They left her. HE left her._

 _Alone._

 _In the woods, while she was being hunted like an animal._

 _That's not how you treat someone you love._

 _But then again, he never loved her. He used her to pass the time. She wasn't even good enough to be animal. She was just a toy. First for him, then his family, and now Victoria. They may as well have a stuck a key in her back, thrown some cymbals in her hands, and played her like their little monkey._

 _These were the thoughts that rolled through her mind as she lay there, barely conscious. 'Fuck them', she thought before she let out another blood curdling scream as Victoria drove another spike into her calf._

 _She had been screaming for so long, her voice no longer sounded human. It cackled and cracked with every painful push of air through her tattered vocal chords. It left her sounding like a ghost whose moans couldn't quite pierce the spectral boundary—just wisps of fractured air._

 _"Aw, don't you have any more pretty screams for me?" Victoria called tauntingly from her position in the room. Her voice echoed around Bella and she was unable to tell where the vampire stood. The blindfold covering her eyes left her guessing. She didn't know where she was or what was coming next. By the way sound moved through the space, Bella could tell she was surrounded by concrete walls, almost like some sort of solitary confinement cell. But Bella's lack of sensory abilities and the blinding pain coursing through her body made it nearly impossible to think about anything other than the spike driven through her leg._

 _"Let's try this again," she stated as Bella braced herself for the coming pain. "And this time, I want you to scream nice and pretty for me. Make those dear, pathetic Cullens hear what they've done to you."_

 _Anger rushed through Bella at her mention of the Cullens. 'How dare they leave me? How dare they make me suffer for their own failings?' Bella's anger only solidified her resolve to never give Victoria the satisficing of hearing her scream._

 _Her anger at the family who'd left her fueled her determination. If she was going to die by Victoria's hand, it would be the red-head's frustration and Bella's lack of obedience that killed her. Not Victoria's joy of torturing her._

 _Bella bit her lip to muffle the scream the threatened to escape her throat as Victoria drove another spike into her arm. The lack of noise angered Victoria causing her to drive and second spike in quickly after the first. Bella could feel blood seeping into her mouth from her busted lip._

 _"Dear, sweet Bella, why are you resisting? It will only make the change slower and more painful," Victoria taunted as Bella felt the vampire trail another spike up her leg toward the apex of her thighs leaving behind a burning trail._

 _"You see dear, these aren't just ordinary rail spikes. I've added my own little twist to them," Victoria chuckled darkly and though Bella couldn't see Victoria's face, she would have been willing to bet there was a smirk curving her sadistic, red lips. "I've coated them in my own venom. For every one of these harmless, little spikes I push through your body, I'm turning you a little more. With your cooperation, I can make it all stop."_

 _Realization dawned on Bella as the burn on her leg finally made sense. Her desire to resist Victoria's attempts to break her increased tenfold. It would be the slowest change possible but in the end, she'd be dead. And whether that was as a corpse or a vampire, she didn't really care. Her hardened heart would no longer beat and hopefully she'd be able to get her revenge. The Cullens would wish they were dead by the time Bella was done with them._

 _It felt like months before the torture finally ended. Slowly the venom that Victoria had introduced to her system changed her. It started before she was even aware of it but Bella could tell when it had begun. Her blood had felt like lava, sticky and burning, ebbing its way through her veins, mixing with the venom. Soon she knew Victoria could sense the change as well. Her heart would palpitate and stutter but Bella couldn't figure out why Victoria allowed it to continue. If Bella had been her, she would have killed Victoria as soon as she'd shown any signs of vampirism._

 _But she let Bella live._

 _When Bella's heart finally fell silent, all pain stopped. Bella could feel the strength in her limbs and she reflexively clenched her fists as she took a deep breath. She could smell the faded scent of Victoria but she wasn't here. Cinnamon and cloves, that was Victoria's scent. Bella relaxed knowing she was alone and became aware of the ropes that still bound her hands. They felt like nothing but threads now, flimsy and weak, and the blindfold covering her eyes may as well have been saran wrap, she could see almost perfectly through it._

 _Standing is all it took to break the binds on her hands and she reached behind her head to remove the blindfold as soon as her hands were free. The room was washed in fluorescent light and Bella had been correct in her assumption that she was surrounded by cement. There was a table in the corner of the room where the bloody spikes from Victoria's torture still lay and the only other piece of furniture in the room was a steel table from which she had just stood._

 _There was a door behind her that looked like the entrance to a bank vault and the sight of it made Bella even more confused as to where she was. The only thing she could think of was some kind of underground bunker—like an apocalypse bunker._

 _Bella flexed her arms. She could feel the strength within them and wondered if she could break through the door. She also wondered where Victoria was and why she wasn't here with her._

 _Bella cocked her head when she heard a clunk come from the other side of the bulky door. Silence followed._

 _She waited several moments before moving to the solid door and examining the lock. It had no handle on this side and no visible way of opening from the inside. How had Victoria left?_

 _Before Bella could think too much on the issue, the door released with a sudden groan and slid open slowly revealing a smirking Victoria._

 _"Well," Victoria said looking Bella over, her smirk widening into a full on grin. "Vampirism certainly does suit you doesn't it?"_

 _Victoria looked very much the same as when she had first shown up in that field with James. Her flaming hair cascading down around her shoulders, tight jeans, and a jean jacket, her bright red eyes shining playfully. Bella couldn't help but think she hadn't truly understood how beautiful Victoria had been when she was looking through human eyes. Now as a vampire she was a bit breathless at the sight._

 _"If the Cullens could see you now," she said circling Bella slowly, predatorily. "I could just eat you up."_

 _Bella saw red. Her newborn rage took over her body as the name she hated most slipped from the red-head's lips and she blacked out in fury. The last thing Bella remembered was the red of Victoria's eyes fading as she tore into her flesh._


	3. Chapter 3

Indeed Aro had seen all that and more when he looked into Victoria's mind. And the ruthlessness that Aro had seen was the exact reason that he wished for Isabella to join his coven. He believed the younger generations were growing soft. The rules of their world were become more and more flexibly followed, and the only way to correct such behavior was brute force. Brute force which Isabella seemed eager to provide.

She was inducted into the coven that same day. No pomp or circumstance, but she was given robes, living quarters, and a monthly stipend to spend however she saw fit. Victoria, seeing the potential for an interesting couple of years, agreed to stay for a while as well. Victoria didn't accept the invite to join the coven, but she did agree to accompany Isabella on missions whenever the kings saw fit for her own set of skills.

Unfortunately, because of Isabella's gift, she was partnered with Jane for her first several months of training. Both Jane and Alec were used to push Isabella to use and remove her mental shield. They soon found that the newborn was less motivated by her own safety than that of others. While Victoria had never been Isabella's favorite person, nor would she ever be. She was the closest thing to a friend Isabella had, even if their relationship was more along the lines of hate-fuck buddies than anything else, so Victoria was used as motivation for Isabella. After she had mastered the ability to remove her mental shield, Alec and Jane took to torturing Victoria with their abilities until the newborn was able to successfully expand it like a bubble over the two of them. After several months, she was able to create individual bubbles for different people, but she wasn't able to to cover more than two others or expand it over a large group. Victoria had grown weary of being Alec and Jane's plaything though, and soon took to fighting Isabella herself to see if that would increase the newborn's motivation.

She was advancing exceedingly fast for a newborn, but she'd already shown that she had marvelous control in other areas of her life as well so it didn't surprise either of the kings that she was ready for her first mission after only six months. And for all intents and purposes, the mission went off without a hitch. There was a moment when Victoria once again needed to calm the newborn down using her feminine wiles, but those moments had become less and less as Isabella progressed into her final newborn year.

Isabella was nearly the picture perfect Volturi guard member with the exception of one thing. She was prone to fits and outbursts brought on by hallucinations. Neither Aro nor Caius had ever seen anything like it in a newborn, but Marcus, who could see the newborns bonds, had noticed a strange aura around the newborn. He believed a bond was trying to form but based on the trauma and violence of Isabella's turning, it could find no level footing to plant its roots. The bond was then forced to hum around Bella like a bee, appearing at the oddest and most inconvenient times.

Isabella, who had played it little mind during her initial nomadic life, was now noticing that it was becoming a more persistent occurrence. Mostly she would hear voices, whispers of a name from a female voice which would become louder whenever she manipulated her mental shield.

Isabella was training with several of the other guard members when the voice became a vision. She had successfully expanded her shield over Demetri and Felix and was attempting to expand it over Santiago as well when a pain sliced through her head and she dropped to the ground. In her head appeared a woman. She was blonde with golden eyes. Her rosy lips spoke to Isabella in soft, sweet whispers saying her name over and over again. When Isabella was finally able to push the image from her mind, Jane and Victoria had already arrived to the training room to see what had happened. Seeing the state that Isabella now found herself in, Victoria hoisted the newborn up and braced her against her shoulder before carting her off to the throne room where the kings spent a majority of their time.

Isabella pushed against Victoria a little, but after seeing the raised eyebrow on the redhead's face and feeling the exhaustion set into her bones, Isabella decided not to push against the help too much. When they arrived at the throne room, Isabella was clutching her head as a pain thundered through her skull and made spots appear in her vision.

Aro was first out of his throne, approaching the newborn with haste and curiosity. He reached out and grabbed her hand which Isabella gripped tightly as she focused on lowering her shield so that Aro could get a glimpse into her mind regarding the last couple of minutes.

"Interesting," he muttered softly to himself. "Fetch Demetri, Felix, and Santiago," he barked at Jane who had remained near the entrance of the throne room. When they arrived moments later, he repeated the routine with each guard and then, dismissed them.

"How many times have these images appeared to you," he asked. A glint in his eye unnerved Isabella but she felt no need to lie to her king.

"This was the first image," Isabella said. "It has only been voices before."

"Hm... Marcus," he called without turning around. "What do you see?"

The man in question moved down from his throne, letting his long robes drag across the floor behind him. He watched Isabella acutely, taking in every symptom and bond fluctuation he could see. "The unrooted bond is still there," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. "It has changed though. It is bigger and it seems to be moving more aggressively against the barrier that has built itself around our dear Isa. I only wish I could tell the kind of bond it was."

"How do I stop hallucinating?" Isabella asked him.

"I believe the only way to prevent further disruption would be to allow the bond to attach," Marcus said cautiously. "You would have to be willing and open to it and you would need to rid yourself of whatever is building the barrier in your aura."

"Simple," Isabella sighed sarcastically and turned to Aro who was watching her with a suspicious glee. She could almost imagine him rubbing his hands together and attempting a villainous laugh at her expense. She dreaded to find out what was causing the look from him.

"Well," Aro said quickly to draw attention back to him. "I suppose we will just have to set you on reserve until you can assure us this wont effect your performance."

"Wait! You can't do that," Isabella cried before she could stop herself. She steeled herself against Aro as he turned to her. A maliciousness had taken place of the glee in his face.

"I believe I can do whatever I want," Aro said.

"I apologize Master Aro," Isabella said, bowing her head slightly. "I spoke before I thought. I merely meant to say that I would not allow these apparitions to create a lapse in my duties. As of yet, they have not interfered with any missions, and I do not believe that would change."

"King Aro," Victoria said, diverting his attention from the distressed newborn. "If I might be so bold, Isabella has shown remarkable control for a newborn, and when she has not, both Jane and I have been able to return her to her sensibilities. Don't take her off of duty just yet. Allow me to accompany her on her missions, I will ensure nothing comes of these hallucinations."

"Do you realize the consequences should Isabella fail because of them?"

Victoria solemnly nodded her head while Isabella watched in undisguised awe that her sire was willing to sacrifice that for her. Her mouth dropped open and Victoria just smirked at the surprise on the newborns face.

"You're so surprised, dear?" Victoria said, chuckling at Isabella.

"Why would you do that for me?" Isabella said. She expected Victoria's response to be one about boredom or Isabella being a pain in the ass whenever she didn't get out of the castle but what she got was completely unexpected.

"You are my childe," Victoria said. She said nothing else to clarify which left Isabella more confused than originally. She knew they had a complicated relationship. There were very few sire/childe relationships that weren't complicated simply because they all involved death but Victoria and Isabella had baggage. Massive, ship-sinking baggage. They both hated each other. There was no disguising that. But that only seemed to be a surface level emotion for the two because when it came down to it, Victoria was always there for Isabella when she needed it. And maybe that was just the sire/childe bond working on Victoria's instincts, but she didn't have any inclinations to fight against it. She would knock Isabella out of her newborn rages, ensure that she hunted enough before going off on missions or intense training sessions, and they had enough sex that many of the other guard members thought that they were mated, a rumor Isabella took every opportunity to squash.

"Well," Aro said. "Then I do have a issue that needs attending. Isabella, you and Victoria will meet Jane at the airport tomorrow morning, and she will brief you on the mission. You will be flying to the United States where a problem regarding newborns, and a possible child of the moon threat, has arisen."

Isabella nodded her head before grabbing Victoria's hand and pulling her out of the throne room and back towards their quarters. While they didn't share quarters, Victoria's were across the hall from her own, and the older vampire spent a majority of her time annoying the newborn in hers anyways. Once they'd exited the throne room, Isabella dropped Victoria's hand and sprinted toward her room, hoping to escape the other vampire.

No such luck though, as Victoria was nearly as fast as the newborn, and also knew just how to distract her. A teasing remark about the time they had fucked against the wall of that very hallway, threw Isabella for a big enough loop that she almost tripped over the cobblestones of the floor. Remarks like that always boosted the newborns libido but she tried her hardest to keep it tamped down. She already owed Victoria for keeping her from getting locked within the castle, she wasn't about to owe her any sexual favors either. Not right now anyways. Isabella had given up telling herself she wasn't going to sleep with Victoria anymore. The newborn wasn't mated, and Victoria's mate was dead. There was no reason why they couldn't enjoy each other, even if they didn't particularly enjoy each other's company. Although it seemed that Victoria was beginning to let bygones be bygones, an idea that Isabella wasn't ready to consider with her torture still fresh in her mind.

Isabella spent the next several hours trying to get Victoria to leave her alone long enough for the both of them to pack, but the redhead's persistent annoyances nearly made the both of them late to the airport the next morning. The two met Jane at a private hanger at the edge of the runway opposite the commercial airport. It was a hanger owned by Volturi so that the vampires could enter and exit the planes without fear of being seen in the sunlight no matter what time of day or the weather.

Their car pulled into the hanger just fifteen minutes before the plane was supposed to leave, and Bella and Victoria entered the plane to meet a very disgruntled Jane.

"You're late," Jane growled. Her red eyes attempted to bore holes into the newborn. Jane held no affection for Isabella. In fact, there was a bit of animosity there that Isabella wasn't exactly sure she deserved, but she didn't question it because really, she just didn't care.

"You're short," Isabella said in response and smirked at the responding growl. "So what's up G.I. Jane? What wild goose chase is Aro sending us on this time?"

A sharp glare was quickly sent her way by the petite girl while Victoria tried to stifle a snicker since she wasn't able to avoid Jane's gift. "We are being sent to Denali, Alaska, a region where we have contacts who have agreed to let us use their lodging as headquarters. There has been an influx of missing persons, and we have reason to believe it is because of an equal rise in newborn activity. Aro wants us to find the offending vampire who is creating the newborns and dispose of them. All other information is need to know."

Isabella nodded her head succinctly before pulling a pair of noise canceling headphones from her bag and popping them over her ears. They didn't totally cancel all of the minor ticks and clicks of the plane but they made it easier for her to fall into a trance until they reached the other side of the world. They stopped briefly for to refuel in New York, but that was the only time Isabella allowed herself to be conscious of the other members of the cabin. And eventually, after twenty hours of turbulence, the three vampires touched down in Anchorage, Alaska.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing they did after landing was hunt. Isabella was reluctant. She wanted to get to their headquarters and then go, but Jane revealed that they would be staying with vegetarians, and they would not have access to fresh human blood for several weeks because of that. This would be their only opportunity to fully hunt until they let again or had a significant amount of down time.

Isabella kept hers quick and easy. She didn't mind the blood bags as much as Victoria and Jane did. She learned of vampires through vegetarians so drinking out of blood bags seemed downright gourmet in comparison.

The three met outside of Anchorage after satisfying their thirsts, and Jane gave them a brief background on the coven they would be staying with. They were apparently closely related to the Cullens so Isabella would have to control herself more fully around them. She was halfway through her newborn years, and while the rage had lessened, the smallest mention of the Cullens still threatened to send her over the edge. Victoria thought it was funny to watch her struggle with the anger while Jane just scowled at her and walked off.

The run form Anchorage to Denali State Park took little over two hours which were run silently. They stopped on the outskirts of the park as they could smell the territory lines, and then they waited. They knew eventually the Denali's would become aware of their presence and send a welcome party, but trespassing was hardly the way to be welcome in another coven's territory.

They waited for nearly an hour before the distinct smell of two vampires carried in the wind. They were approached by the two cautiously. Isabella new that the Volturi and Denalis had a somewhat turbulent relationship, and she didn't blame them, but she also couldn't help but laugh to herself at the unnecessary judiciousness of it all. They were here to help, not harm. Well, at least not harm the Denalis.

Jane stepped forward as the two reached them. "Hello Eleazar, Carmen," she said nodding to each. "We have been sent here to investigate a problem your coven has reported regarding newborns. We seek permission to enter and leave your territory until such task has been dealt with."

"Permission granted," the man, Eleazar, said. "We welcome your help. It has been a strange couple of months with the number of disappearances between here and Anchorage."

They entered the territory slowly, allowing time for the others to change their minds. Isabella smiled at Eleazar and approached him.

"Hello," she said. "I am Isabella. I am a new member of the coven. It's a pleasure to meet you. You live in a beautiful part of the country."

"Thank you, we do like it," Carmen said, smiling. A brief look of recognition crossed both Denalis' eyes, but Isabella didn't say anyting.

"You're a shield," Eleazar said. When he noticed Isabella's confused glance, he elaborated, "I have a gift that senses other gifts."

Isabella nodded and stepped back before gesturing to her sire. "This is Victoria."

Victoria waved, but decided to keep any smart-ass comments to herself. There was an odd look in Victoria's eyes that Isabella wasn't sure she understood, but she figured that Victoria would talk about it when they were alone.

The run to their home, mansion rather, only took about fifteen minutes, and when they arrived Isabella could smell several other scents around the lot, three specifically.

"Our other coven mates are out hunting," Carmen said noticing Isabella's curiosity. "They should be back sometime later today. A new wolf pack has moved into the area so they like to get to a few of the elk herd before the wolves get to all the sickly ones."

"Charming," Victoria muttered and scrunched her nose. Carmen's smile faltered slightly, but she moved on regardless.

"We would appreciate if, while you are here, you avoid hunting in the nearby towns. I know Anchorage is little further away, but we would like to keep attention off of our area."

"That won't be a problem," Jane stated. "We have come prepared with blood rations enough to last us for several months provided there are no emergencies."

"Rations?" Carmen said, though she didn't mean to say it out loud.

"Blood bags," Isabella smirked. "Jane likes to make it sound more official with her soldier speak, but it's just blood bags. We get them from prisons around the world. Prisoners are offered the chance to sell their blood for commissary money or bail or whatever that particular country offers them. In Italy, I believe they offer reduced sentences for each donation."

She felt a niggling at the edge of her shield and turned to look at Jane who was trying to bore holes in her head with her glare. "What?" she asked.

Jane huffed, and instead, followed Carmen inside.

"So how long have you been a member of the guard Isabella?" Eleazar asked, now intrigued by her gift.

"Just over a year I think?" Isabella said and turned to Victoria who nodded.

"Oh so you are very young," Eleazar said.

"I guess," Isabella said and laughed.

"When were you turned?" he asked.

"Like two years ago," she answered and laughed again at the shock on his face.

"You're still a newborn," he said. "How did you manage to get on the guard so young? Have you been with the Volturi since you changed?"

"Nope," she said. "I was on my own for about a year before I joined them."

"You have marvelous control," Eleazar chuckled. He looked excited. He had the look of a scholar who had just discovered some ancient artifact. Isabella could already tell he was fascinated by her, and a small part of her ind was flattered by this notion while the majority of her was annoyed that she'd now have to deal with his curiosities while she was supposed to be spying on his family. Although there was a possibility she could use this to her advantage, she didn't want him to learn too much about her.

"Well why don't we head inside to finish this conversation," Eleazar said with a nervous smile as he looked at me. He reminded her a little of Carlyle, and it made her insides want to revolt against her. Both Carmen and Eleazar were very similar in attitude to the Cullens. Friendly and welcoming—wanting everyone to feel comfortable in their home. Isabella had no doubt that if she were human, it would have taken Carmen seconds to drag her into the kitchen to cook for her. It made Isabella distrust them instantly.

They were too friendly. It seemed fake and forced. The Cullens had troubles with red-eyes vampires because of their differences in diet, the added history between the Volturi and the Denalis was making this situation even more tense than the confrontation between the Cullens and James' coven.

Eleazar was interest in Isabella's ability, but entirely uncomfortable with who she was so they pushed the fake familiarity to hide it. It made her want to punch them a little. They were exactly like the Cullens, it was no wonder that they considered each other family.

She sat in the living room with them like they were friends, but she did her best to keep the subject only on the business at hand. She knew she'd already told them too much of her history, but sometimes it's needed to establish trust.

Isabella could tell Denali was going to be dull until they truly started their mission. The mountains and forests were picturesque, but they offered little in the way of entertainment. Hunting animals was never going to be the thrill of playing with humans and Isabella had been here for a total of eight hours and she was already bored out of her mind. She was finding out just how dreadfully quaint the Denalis were, and living in the middle of nowhere with nothing but chipmunks to eat was all very rustic—in the same way a redneck's beaten up old pickup was—dirty and in need of an upgrade.

On top of the drudgery that was the Denalis' lives, Carmen and Eleazar were sickeningly cute. They were the type of couple that made Isabella want to barf. Always complimenting each other, touching in some way, or whispering gag worthy affections. She had half a mind to let Jane spend a little time torturing them like she could tell Jane wanted to do.

The other Denalis weren't supposed to be gone that long, but Isabella hoped that they would at least provide a little more life to the dreadfully dull area. Three sisters, all succubi, all members of this coven since their sire had been killed by King Aro for breaking the law. Isabella was practically giddy with the thought of getting into a fight or two with them. Jane would probably kill her though if she did.

It was approaching ten hours of wondering about the house and surrounding area before she finally heard the approach of foot steps on the crunchy snow. The air had stilled with their arrival, and Isabella watched cautiously through the window of the guest room she'd taken residence in as they stepped out of the woods.

Isabella was slow to react. What excitement she had hoped for with the return of the Denalis was overshadowed by a niggling suspicion that this coven was up to something. They seemed too clean to have just been on a hunt, but she decided to leave it for now. One stray suspicious thought was nothing to jump into action against.

She cautiously made her way down to the lower level of the home all the while listening to the crunching of their footsteps. She could hear them talking to each other, though she couldn't make out what they were saying completely. Carmen and Eleazar were greeting their sisters as though they hadn't seen them in months even though they had only been gone for less then a day.

At the moment Bella was the only member of her coven still in the house. Jane and Victoria had gone to run an investigative track around the territory about an hour ago and would likely be gone for another two. So Isabella was content to listen to the interactions of the other coven.

"We couldn't get them," one of the sisters said. It made Isabella pause at the bottom of the stairs. She was going to go outside and greet the others as well. They were supposed to be hunting. She highly doubted that three vampires would have any difficulties taking down a couple of elk. "They didn't agree," the sister continued.

"Shhhhh, Irina," Isabella heard Eleazar warn. "We're not alone. We have guests."

Isabella knew she would have to follow up on that interaction later, but figured for the moment she should go introduce herself. Regardless of what they were up to, she was here to deal with a separate problem. The Denali had alerted them to the problem themselves, it wasn't likely they were involved in creating a newborn army.

She stepped through the front door, ensuring to make noise in the process so they could hear her approach. She was about to speak, but then she saw her.

"It was you," she felt a snarl rip from her throat. Of course. Of course Aro recognized the woman from her hallucinations. Of course he would send Isabella here, fully knowing that this would happen. She could feel growls rumbling in her chest as the anger in her belly rose. Her chest was heaving with rapid breaths and her eyes had darkened to a deadly black. This was the woman who almost got her removed from duty, and now she was standing no less than ten feet in front of her.

The woman's strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail behind her head, and she was dressed in reasonably casual clothes that briefly reminded her of what Rosalie might have worn to school. The woman's eyes were a deep amber, and they looked confused and shocked as though she didn't understand why.

"What did you do to me?" Isabella bellowed at the blonde. She saw the sisters give the woman a brief look of confusion before returning their eyes to her. "Why have I been having hallucinations of you?"

She felt a gust of wind behind her and realized that Victoria had appeared behind her.

"Shh, Isabella," Victoria said. She was cooing at the younger vampire trying to get her to calm down. She turned Isabella to face her and made sure the newborns eyes were focused on her. Isabella felt Victoria grab her hand and place it above her unbeating heart and began taking deep breaths. Isabella tried to follow suit, but she could hear the blonde moving and her entire being felt and inexplicable pull toward her. If Isabella could have cried, there would have been tears of anger streaking down her face.

"Are you with me now?" Victoria questioned. She raised an eyebrow at Isabella who shook her head quickly to clear her mind and then nodded. "Is that the woman who was in your hallucination?"

Isabella nodded once, but struggled to maintain her composure. Victoria turned, pushing Isabella slightly behind her.

"You," Victoria said, pointing at the other woman. "Name."

"Tanya," she said quickly. "I'm the coven leader. What is Isabella talking about? Hallucinations?"

"I believe that is none of your business, but it would be in your best interest to stay away," Victoria said. She turned around and placed a hesitant kiss on the top of Isabella's head which caused the Denalis to frown curiously at the duo. Victoria heard a growl echo from Tanya's chest at the contact.

Isabella's breathing was slowly leveling out, and Victoria felt she could step aside now to allow the newborn some thinking room. Isabella felt panicked and angry, Victoria could feel it through whatever twisted bond linked them. It was an unusual emotion to feel from the normally apathetic newborn. She usually stayed well within very limited emotional ranges of contentedness or apathy.

"Who are you," Isabella whispered. Victoria grabbed her hand in a show of support.

"Tanya," she repeated patiently. A look of realization crossed Tanya's face. One that Isabella completely missed, but Victoria recognized it. It was a look she knew well. And suddenly everything made sense.

"Isabella," Victoria said slowly. "I think she's—"

"Your mate," Tanya finished. Tanya watched the way the newborn reacted. There was an immediate stiffening of her spine and she could tell Victoria was trying not to chastise her for nearing tearing her hand off, but she also couldn't help but examine Isabella fully. Her eyes trailed up the newborn's body, but she kept the smugness she felt locked deeply in the recesses of her mind.

"No." Isabella said it with a firmness that made Victoria doubt herself. Isabella clenched her eyes shut and moved away from Victoria. "No. I don't have a mate."

Isabella heard the rustle of clothes and soft footsteps, and she opened her eyes to see Tanya approaching her. Tanya gave a look to Victoria, trying to calculate the threat level of the other vampire, but Victoria held her hands up in front of her and backed up several more steps. Victoria knew better than to stand between mated vampires, and even if Isabella was resisting the bond, or got angry, Tanya would likely be better at calming the newborn.

"Yes, you do Isabella," Tanya said calmly. She noticed a shiver run up Isabella's spine, and decided to push more. "Look me in the eyes."

She waited for Isabella to look at her, and then took several more steps. "You say you saw me in a hallucination?"

Isabella nodded, and growled at the reminder.

"Why do you think that is?"

"Master Marcus said that it was troubles with a bond..."

"A bond—like a mating bond? Isabella don't you see that's what that was? I would never do anything to hurt you. I have waited all my thousands of years of life for you to step into it. Why would I do something like that?"

"I don't know," Isabella said. She threw down her hands in exasperation, and Victoria felt a newborn tantrum coming on.

"Tanya," Victoria whispered. "She's young. Be careful."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Isabella yelled and a growl ripped from her throat. Victoria took a step back and Tanya paused.

An idea crossed Tanya's mind, and she decided it was worth a shot. Newborns were complicated and unpredictable, sometimes it took unpredictable acts to get them to understand. She rushed Isabella, and slammed her against the wall of the house, careful not to apply too much pressure for fear of Carmen's wrath, but as soon as Isabella's back hit the wall, the mood in the air shifted.

The anger rushed out of Isabella like she'd been punched in the gut, and a new sort of tension took residence slightly lower. Tanya's body was flush against Isabella's, pressing into her deliciously. She could feel every curve of the woman's body, and her golden eyes were piercing her, daring her to fight back. But Isabella could only feel the need to submit. They were so close that Isabella could see the flecks of blood in Tanya's eyes that shaded them like a sunset. Her face was sculpted to perfection; full cheek bones defined by a dainty chin and strong, delicate nose. And her lips...

They reminded Isabella of rose petals—velvety soft and as red as the blood she drank.

Tanya could tell she had captivated Isabella. She could smell it, and it only made her smirk mischievously. Isabella tried to ignore the way her body responded to the woman, and she closed her eyes tightly. But her efforts were in vain. Tanya ran her nose slowly up the newborns neck, breathing in her scent and relishing in the way Isabella shivered under her. "I'm your mate Isabella."

Isabella's brain froze as quickly as her body. She couldn't process what Tanya was saying, and part of Isabella didn't want to process it so she could ignore it forever. But as instantaneously as her mind had gone blank, her thoughts returned in full force. A grumble clawed its way up her throat and seeped out between her teeth as she began to growl. She was lying. She had to be.

"I don't have a mate," Isabella said forcefully, ignoring the heat she felt in the pit of her belly.

Instead of responding, Tanya pushed herself closer to Isabella who had to restrain a moan that pressed against her lips when the woman's thigh applied pressure to her center.

"I know you feel it," Tanya said softly. "I know you feel the pull. Please let yourself fell the pull, Isabella."

A jolt shot down Isabella's spine as her name rolled off the woman's tongue. She spoke it like a filthy secret whispered in the heat of passion. Another growl formed in Isabella's throat. But whether it was at Tanya or her libido, even she didn't know. Before she could even shoot Tanya a glare though, the woman's lips pressed to hers.

Bliss.

Every possible cliche someone could possibly think of to define true love, that was how Isabella felt. She could barely put up a fight before she sunk into the lips that covered hers.

Their lips moved together in sync as if this was a dance they'd done a thousand times. Her tongue played roughly against Isabella's as they both pushed against each other. The brunette couldn't recall how long they stood there locked together before they pulled apart—it could have been seconds, it could have been years. Her body never would have known the difference. Isabella's eyes remained closed for several seconds when they separated but eventually fluttered open to stare into Tanya's. During the kiss, her hands had moved to the woman's silky blond hair, and Tanya's had landed in a tight grip on Isabella's hips. Isabella wanted to pull her back in and kiss her until they both saw stars, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she jumped back like she'd been burned, ceasing the purr that she hadn't noticed was rumbling from her chest.

She couldn't figure out what she was thinking. Some strange woman kisses her and suddenly she's some lovesick teenager again? She wanted to throw up. What had that woman done to her? It had to be some kind of trick. The woman was a succubus after all, but how did her powers get past Isabella's shield?

A growl erupted from her chest with new anger. She took several threatening steps toward the woman before pausing. Isabella could see the contemplation in the woman's eyes as she waited for her to make the next move.

Isabella thought about attacking. She wanted to show her what happens when someone touches her without permission. But she couldn't. A flash of a memory blinked before her eyes as Isabella remembered what Carlisle had once said about mates. One mate cannot knowingly harm another. And then she remembered what had just happened when she got close the Tanya. That wasn't going to happen again. She wouldn't let it. So she ran.


	5. Chapter 5

"Should we go after her?" Tanya asked, looking to Victoria. Victoria could feel the anguish and confusion Isabella was experiencing through their bond. Her insides were reeling and no amount of talking was going to do the newborn any good right now.

"Going after her right now is more than likely to get one of us killed," Victoria said with a frown. "Besides, her ability makes her nearly impossible to track. She can mask her scent."

Tanya's face was one of confusion and sadness. She'd made a quick decision and it had been the wrong one. Granted from the way Victoria acted, it probably wouldn't have mattered how Tanya approached the younger woman. She would have reacted negatively regardless.

"I thought that would work," Tanya sighed. "I don't understand."

"There's a lot you won't understand about Isabella," Victoria said. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one foot. Tanya could have sworn she was about to start tapping her foot at her the way an inpatient mother does a misbehaving child. "You could see she was volatile, why would you push it?"

"I acted on instinct," Tanya defended. "You can't tell me you wouldn't have tried something similar."

"Oh, I have," Victoria said, a smirk growing on her lips. "She was very responsive to it."

Tanya growled at the implication, not liking that her mate had been with someone else.

"Oh calm down blondie," Victoria said with a laugh. "How else was a I supposed to keep a newborn distracted on a plane full of humans? Newborns only care about two things, and I went with the one that wouldn't have us beheaded within an hour of landing."

"Wait," Irina said stepping forward, "You and Isabella?"

"We have a... complicated relationship to say the least," Victoria said. "Tried to kill each other at least two times each, but I'm the only one who succeeded. I turned her."

"Oh," Tanya said quietly. Things made a bit more sense then. A maker bond was as powerful as a mating bond under the right circumstances, and if Victoria's venom was as strong as she suspected, it would make sense that Isabella would have a reaction to the older woman. But how did Tanya fall into that? Would Victoria step aside? Or would she remain an obstacle between her and Isabella?

"Quit scowling at me," Victoria said, swatting at Tanya. "I'm not going to get in the way of you and your newborn. I might miss the fun a little, but I'm not stupid. Eventually Isabella will get her head out of her ass, and a little maker bond is going to be nothing in comparison to a mate bond."

"What do you mean you've tried to kill each other twice?" Kate said, now joining the conversation.

"You've never heard of violent turnings before?" Victoria asked. "Wow, lucky you. But like I said, it's complicated. Isabella should be the one to tell you about that whole mess. Her human years weren't much better than her vampire ones, thanks to me."

Kate scowled at her a little, obviously offended by the implied ignorance on her part, but Victoria could see that she had piqued the curiosity of the other coven even further. She knew that Eleazar was already breathing down Isabella's neck about her history and abilities, now she'd get to add the three sisters to the Isabella Fan Club.

Victoria felt a wave of thirst wash over her, and knew instinctively that Isabella felt she'd gone far enough away she could drop her shields. Whatever war had been raging within her had calmed through whatever method Isabella uses when she can't fuck Victoria's brains out.

"She's about five miles off," Victoria said turning her head in the direction the feeling, or rather lack of feeling, came from. "She's calmed down, but I don't know when she'll be back."

"Hey, weren't there supposed to be three of you?" Irina said looking around curiously.

"Oh shit," Victoria said. She'd completely forgotten about Jane in the woods. The minute she had felt the intense blast of anger from Isabella, she'd taken off towards the Denali's home leaving Jane running a perimeter by herself. "I'll be back in a bit," she said quickly and took off in the direction Jane had been. "She's going to kill me."

* * *

Her anger had made her thirsty. She could tell without even glancing in a mirror that her eyes had not returned to their normal crimson after being reduced to a void by Tanya. The fire in the back of her throat had been growing slowly since she'd run from the Denali's, and she knew she needed to hunt, but it would be a while before she could get far enough way from their territory. She didn't mind all that much though. Running was therapeutic to her.

As a human, asking her to run was like asking a one-legged man to do a hurdle race. Two steps and she was down for the count, but now, the freedom and the feeling of the air around her was something she would never tire of. It worked off her anxious and angry energy, even if it wasn't as effective as some of Victoria's methods.

She ended up in an unnamed town of moderate size not too far from the edge of the Denali's property. She figured this would be as good a place as any to hunt. It was a Friday night which meant that there were more people than usual out on the streets. Most of them were flocking toward a building a few blocks over from where Isabella entered the town.

Isabella dropped into an alleyway between what looked like a butcher shop and a small bar. She stashed her robes behind a dumpster before pulling her hair back into a tight ponytail to keep it out of her face. Underneath her robes she was wearing a casual clothes; a t-shirt and black leggings, but no one would even notice how she was dressed. They would be too focused on their sudden attraction to her.

She could already feel stares as she left the empty alley and approached the building at the end of the block. Music was pumping from inside and the entire place reeked of smoke, booze, and sweat, masking a much headier scent of arousal.

 _Perfect._

She smirked as the crowd parted to let her through. In front of the open door, a large man stood with his arms crossed, biceps bulging, seemingly oblivious to the music that pumped from the building behind him. He was obviously the muscle, hired to keep out the ugly and uninvited. Isabella's smirk deepened as she watched his gaze drop to appreciate her figure, and she raised an eyebrow when his eyes met hers.

As a human, she hadn't been much to look at. She wasn't ugly, but she never matched up to the full figured girls that society so pressured young girls to look like. As an immortal, she had the body that most women would kill for, and obviously, Muscles was enjoying the view. She didn't have to say anything as she walked toward the entrance, he stood aside and watched her walk pass, likely enjoying the view.

Inside, the stench of sweat and alcohol increased tenfold, and she inhaled it deeply like a drug, letting it wash over her. Humans always smelled the best when they sweat. It's part of what made the hunt so fun. The more afraid they were, the more they sweat, and the better they smelled. It wasn't so much the sweat that made them smell good. It was the way their heightened temperature brought their blood right to the surface of their skin.

Sex mixed in the air with the delectable smell of moving bodies, and Isabella watched as women drank and danced while men tried to smooth talk them into their beds

She wasn't more than five minutes into the club before being approached. A man, stocky and muscular approached her to dance. He was attractive, if you liked them that way, and he smirked in a way that no doubt left some women drooling. He ran his hand through his short blond hair in a way that reminded Isabella of Edward; like he thought he was the most charming man in existence.

She accepted his invitation to dance with a small nod and a flirtation smile, and he led her out onto the floor where electronic music shook speakers at a deafening volume. She'd never enjoyed dancing before. Something about the social atmosphere and need for coordination made it worse than running. But now she could feel the music in a way human Isabella never would have understood. It flowed through her and she began to sway her hips to the beat. It didn't take more than a second from the man to stand behind her so she could grind against him.

She hated this part of the seduction. She hated letting the men feel her or be near her. She'd rather kill them right away, but she couldn't just bite him on the dance floor so she did what she had to do. By now, seduction was a second nature to her. It was part of being a creature of the night.

The man quickly caught onto the rhythm of the music and placed his hands on her hips. She could smell his increased arousal and feel the heat of his groin against her ass. She smirked knowing that this was going to be easy, and she almost felt a little bad. But then again, a vampire's gotta eat.

Isabella turned into him and began to grind herself further into his groin where she could feel his erection protruding from his jeans. His arousal was practically suffocating at this point, and it had only been minutes. Knowing he was basically eating out of her hand, she lifted herself up onto her toes to whisper into his ear.

"How about we take this back to my place?" she whispered hotly against his ear as she placed her hand just above the button on his jeans. His eyes dilated as he processed what she'd said and he grabbed her hand, leading her out of the club.

Once on the street, she pulled him toward the alley where she had stashed her cloak.

"I don't know if I can wait until we get back to my place," Isabella said once they were in the alley. She pushed him back against the brick wall and began to kiss him. He wasn't a terrible kisser, but he was sloppy. Probably because he was drunk. The feel of his lips on hers caused an unbidden image to pop up into her head as she instinctively compared him to Tanya. She growled and pulled away from him to kiss down his neck where she began to worry the flesh to bring the blood to the surface. She could hear him trying to talk to her; something about her eagerness being hot, but she wasn't paying attention.

After a minute or so, the man was getting a little too handsy for Isabella, and she decided it was time to get it over with. He was groaning at the bruise she was leaving on his neck, and he was kneading her ass roughly.

Her fang were beginning to unsheathe themselves from her gums as the smell of the man's blood filled her senses. Finally letting her beast take over, she spun the man around and slammed his front into the dirty wall. Somewhere her mind registered his cry of confusion before she sunk her teeth into the throbbing vein in his neck. Ignoring his whimpers of pain, she drained the man as if he were no more than a juice box.

She let him drop to the ground as finished before the sound of someone clearing their throat startled her from her haze. She spun and dropped into a crouch, ready to attack should she need to. A hiss escaped her lungs before she could stop it which only caused the offending party to laugh.

"Has no one ever taught you not to play with your food?"

"What the fuck, Tanya?" Isabella growled. She scrunched her eyebrows and she stood up. She had to be at least fifty miles from Denali by now. "What are you doing here?"

"We're mates Isabella," Tanya chuckled. She stepped into the alleyway, ignoring the body beside her. "I can pretty much sense you all the time. It's part of the bond."

"Now there's two of you?" Isabella asked with a sigh as she lifted the body up and tossed into the dumpster, but not before clawing the man's throat up a bit. "It's not polite to show up uninvited," she growled as the blonde smirked at her.

"Oh dear, how embarrassing," Tanya sang in faux distress as she approached the brunette. Isabella noticed that this time she approached cautiously, like she was trying not to startle a wild animal. The younger woman stood completely still as Tanya walked closer, and she held her breath when the other woman reached out to touch her cheek with a knuckle.

"I'm sorry," Tanya breathed quietly as she trailed the finger down Isabella's cheek to her neck where it traced over one of the many scars left by Victoria. There was a softness in her voice that left no room for mirth. The newborn felt her dead heart flutter at the tone. "I didn't expect my mate to be someone as...controlled as you."

Isabella rolled her eyes at Tanya's words. She didn't feel in control at all. She felt like her emotions were constantly trying to tear her apart, and there was no relief except for the few moments of respite that Victoria had provided for her. Isabella wanted to deny everything. She wanted to tell Tanya that she wasn't her mate. Isabella wanted to hurt her, but she didn't want to her. She had no choice in the matter.

"It won't work." The sentence came out a strangled whisper, Isabella trying to convince herself not to give in. "I won't stay here. I don't belong here, and you don't belong in Volterra. Nothing is going to happen between us whether you are delusional enough to think we are mates or not."

"Isabella... What do you know of the mating bond?" Tanya said, voice still soft, comforting, though the look of sadness in her eyes caused a pain deep within Isabella. "Even apart, we will always be able to feel each other, and the longer we are apart, the more painful it will be. Eventually it will lead to death. Are you willing to put yourself through that?"

Tanya paused a moment and looked down to softly grab the brunette's hand. The look in her eyes was sad as she ran her thumb along Isabella's, and she felt a spark roll through her at the touch. Isabella look back at the blonde's face when she heard her sigh and watched Tanya's eyes as they lifted back to her own. Her amber hues sparkled with hope as she interlinked their fingers. "Are you willing to put me through that?"

Isabella stared at their linked hands. They seemed to fit together perfectly, pale fingers wrapped around each other like they were always supposed to be that way. She knew Tanya could see the wheels spinning in her head, and she knew if she looked up, Isabella would see Tanya smiling softly, eyes still sparkling, daring to hope. Did she want them to lose that hope?

But Isabella couldn't have a mate. It wasn't possible. There was nothing left in her to give to someone else. She'd lost everything when she lost her humanity. Despite the fact that there were too many extenuating factors fighting against them, Isabella didn't want this. She didn't want to be with Tanya. And even as she lied to herself, she felt herself caving.

Isabella opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Tanya's hand. She raised an eyebrow, and Tanya smiled.

"Don't answer me right now," she said. "Give me a week. Just be around me. No pressure. It doesn't have to be anything more than living in the same household, but give me that much."

And despite Isabella's immediate reaction to say no, she hesitated. A war fought its way through her mind. What was the harm in a week? It wouldn't change Isabella's mind, would it? This was Tanya. Some goodie-two-shoes Cullen lover. There was no way a week would change her mind.

But then she remembered the kiss and how it had awakened some deep longing within Isabella that reminded her what it was like to not feel so alone, and she knew that one week would change something. And she wasn't willing to let that happen.

"I can't," she said softly, gently releasing Tanya's hand. The pain in Tanya's eyes hurt Isabella more than she would ever admit, but she knew she was doing what needed to be done.

"I'm sorry," Bella said. It was barely a whisper, but loud enough for the blonde to hear the regret in her voice before Isabella vanished into the city.

* * *

 _Two Years Ago_

* * *

 _The wind whipped cold against his skin but he didn't feel it. He was concentrating on the low black clouds rolling silently across the horizon. The sight made his skin crawl and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as foreboding crept up his spine. It was like watching the night approach without the beauty of a fiery red sunset as prelude._

 _Not even his enhanced vision could unravel its true nature._

 _His suspicions led him to believe it was a black cloud of sticky smoke stuck to the horizon, possibly human explorers who had misused their fuels or the smoke from an aggressive forest fire farther south. Either way it hung with an ominous premonition that left the vampire feeling uneasy._

 _Taking a deep breath, Anik turned from the mystery on the horizon and faced his village._

 _His village was older than written history and had lived here in peace and anonymity since his ancestor first turned. They were located several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle where most human life couldn't survive without advanced technology. They mostly survived off the animals who called the frozen tundra their home; tundra rodents and the occasional wolf and fox who were brave enough to approach their village._

 _Anik had come to live in this village after his change, he had gotten lost in the tundra as a human searching for his brother when he had fallen ill from the cold and was left to die. The woman he came to view as his mother had changed him and saved his life. That was how many came to live in their village. Humans would get lost in the tundra, and the people of his village would often rescue them and turn them. In all, their village was about twenty people right now, but despite their large size they never interacted with other covens._

 _The cardinal rule of their village was to never reveal its existence to outsiders. Often the newborns they created would leave with the understanding that they were only allowed to leave if they promised not to speak of their coven. Their shaman woman, who was the oldest in the village, several millennia, possessed a gift to help insure that their secret was kept. She had the ability to erase memories, a gift she used sparingly and only after a long debate among the village elders._

 _Despite it all, Anik believed that their shaman had led them well. She was one of the three remaining who had been a part of the original tribe that had once survived off these lands. Now all that remained of their ancestors was her, her brother, and the man they called their uncle._

" _Anik, what are you staring at so hard?" a woman said approaching him from his side. She was a stout woman with silver white hair which hung from her face in a long, twisted braid. There were no wrinkles on her face nor spots on her skin but she held herself the way only age could. She was wrapped in a thin layer of furs for modesty more than protection from the cold. "You'll give yourself a headache if you leave your face scrunched like that."_

 _She gave Anik an affectionate smile as she stopped by his side. "The skies are angry," she said her voice dropping._

" _Something is wrong," Anik finally spoke in a low, gravelly voice. "That is not a natural formation, we should be preparing for the worst."_

" _The worst?" the woman said raising an eyebrow to the man next to her. "What do you think it could be?"_

 _A firm line placed itself across Anik's mouth while his eyebrows remained furrowed in concentration. "Nothing good. Nothing good would smoke like the bowels of hell…"_

 _Anik paused when he felt a hand laid on his arm, "Ana…"_

"Y _ou have matured so much since you first stumbled into our camp half dead," the woman paused looking her son over, fond smile twitching at the end of her mouth. "How we would have gotten along without you these last few centuries is a mystery to me, but I am certainly glad we never had to try."_

" _Ana…," Anik said again before wrapping his large arms around the small woman. He wasn't sure why he had felt the need to hug the petite woman, but something in his mind told him to before he no longer could._

" _My son," she sighed wistfully and smiled into her sons shoulder._

" _Wait," Anik interrupted, carefully disentangling himself from the other vampire. "Do you hear that?"_

 _The older woman paused her eyes glazing over slightly as she concentrated on the sound of footsteps coming from the same direction as the mysterious smoke. "Someone is coming."_

 _True to her word, as the pair turned they noticed a figure in the distance approaching rapidly. Not only was there a man running at them but the black cloud had moved ever closer and still gained no definition._

" _They're coming!"_

 _The man in the distance had yelled to them and continued to yell until he was within several hundred feet of the pair of vampires. This man too was a vampire. His clothes were ragged and his eyes were black in hunger._

" _The Volturi!" He yelled still running, "They're coming. Prepare yourselves."_

 _Time moved into a blur as the village became nothing but the rapid motion of vampires preparing themselves for the worst. They had no weapons at their disposal, and their people were inexperienced in the realm of fighting, but they stood strong at the edge of their village as the black cloud approached._

 _An army, fifty strong, cloaked in the black mist marched toward their village. Their eyes glowed red, and they were shrouded in the black robes of the Volturi. Nothing could be heard but the unison of their footsteps for no one dared to breathe._

 _Only the Volturi would remember this day. Only the Volturi and one other. The village fell in a deathly silence. Anticlimactic and mute they fell. That's not to say they simply rolled over and accepted their deaths. They were led by a demon with blonde hair and a doll face who incapacitated them before they even had a chance to fight. Pale flesh tore pale flesh while the screams of the innocent played ceaselessly._

 _And that night, as the bodies of the innocent burned, the Northern Lights danced with fire stained by blood._


	6. Chapter 6

Tanya thought about following her. It wouldn't take much. Isabella may be able to block her scent and sound from other people, but Tanya was the exception. Nothing could stand in the way of their mate bond now that it had been acknowledged, although unwillingly. But she'd seen the look in Isabella's eyes. And she wasn't sure pushing harder would get her any closer to getting what she wanted. She should probably just head home.

The run home was hard though. Tanya could feel every emotion that flitted through Isabella's mind. The anger, the hopelessness, the longing. It was near overwhelming. Tanya was barely aware that vampires could feel so many emotions at once. Tanya focused on their bond as she ran. She let the feeling of it tugging at her soul surround her until she was lost in a maelstrom of Isabella. Despite the pain that came with the feeling, it made the run easier on her. If she couldn't be physically with Isabella, then at least she could be with her through their bond.

She wasn't sure what she could do now to get through to Isabella though. After speaking with Victoria, Tanya had decided to go after her anyways. She wasn't planning on actually talking to Isabella, but after watching the woman make-out with some random man, she couldn't really stop herself. She was able to keep herself from sounding like the jealous girlfriend, but that was as far as she could hold herself back.

What possibly could have happened to Isabella that would make her so adverse to any sort of relationship? Of course, she was right about their covens being incompatible, but as far as Tanya knew, the Volturi had always been very forgiving about letting their guard leave to be with their mates. It was how Eleazar had joined their coven in the first place.

Victoria's words about Isabella's past rang loudly in her ears. She had a rough life, but wouldn't a mating bond have been a positive thing? Something that the newborn could look forward to as a light at the end of the long, lonely tunnel?

Tanya sighed as she approached the house. She could hear her sisters chatting inside with Victoria who had been surprisingly more friendly than any of them had anticipated. Tanya could smell Jane as well. She must have finished her perimeter of the territory.

Tanya started to climb the steps into the house when the sound of a cell phone going off distracted her. It was coming from her back pocket. She pulled the cell phone out and glanced at the caller ID. Carlysle.

"Hello?" Tanya said after flipping it open.

"Tanya! How are you?" the friendly voice of Carlysle said over the phone.

"We're fine, all things considered," Tanya said. She'd been in contact with the Cullens about their newborn problem on the off chance that the Denali's required their help. She knew that having Alice on their side was always a bonus.

"Good," he said casually. "And how are your…visitors?"

"Interesting," Tanya said with a laugh. She wasn't even going to begin explaining Isabella. Too much time and too much wasted energy.

"Hopefully in a good way," Carlysle said. "I know the Volturi can be a handful at times. Who did they send?"

"Jane," Tanya said with a scowl. "And two of their newer members."

"Jane? Without her brother?"

"Yeah, it surprised us too," Tanya said.

"Well, if you don't mind," Carlysle said. "We were hoping to come for a visit. Esme has been antsy knowing there is trouble around and we aren't there to help. We figured we could provide some muscle." He laughed.

"You know you are always welcome in our home Carlysle," Tanya said with a soft smile. She knew the other coven was younger and less experienced than most of her own coven mates, but they were a talented group and she would take all of the support she could get. She didn't much feel like dealing with a newborn army with only the eight of them. Her sisters and herself were fairly inexperienced in combat, and Eleazar had always been more of an academic. Thought they had picked things up over the years, they hardly counted themselves fighters.

"We were also hoping that once this all passed," Carlysle said. "We might be able to discuss that other problem you have?"

Tanya's hand immediately went up to cover the receiver, hoping that no one in the house had over heard him. She listened intently but the conversation in the house continued as though nothing had happened.

"We will discuss it when the need arises," she said shortly.

"Of course. Well, since you're welcome to our presence, I believe we will be in Alaska some time tomorrow afternoon," Carlysle said. "Edward is not with us though."

"Oh?" Tanya asked. She knew he had been involved with a human girl some years ago, and it had been giving him problems, but she hadn't heard from him since they had revealed their budding relationship.

"Yes," Carlysle said. "His relationship with Bella ended rather suddenly, and he is taking it rather hard. He has been away from the family for nearly two years, only checking in occasionally."

"Alright," Tanya said, choosing not to address Edward's love life. She knew she had given him a hard time about his virginity, but she honestly didn't care much about his love life despite his belief that she and her sisters were trying to seduce him. "Well, we will see you tomorrow then."

There was a faint goodbye on the other end of the line as Tanya hung up. She shoved the phone back into her back pocket and returned to the house. Inside, she found Irina deep in conversation with Kate—something about which Chris was hottest. Tanya didn't care enough to find out what that conversation was about. She turned to Victoria to see she had gathered a book from their shelves and was reading quietly on the loveseat in the corner while Jane was discussing strategies with Eleazar.

"Where's Carmen?" Tanya asked drawing their attention.

"Oh the minute she heard you on the phone with Carlysle, she ran off to make up some more guest rooms," Eleazar chuckled.

"Well tell her to make one less," Tanya said. "Looks like Eddy-boy won't be joining us. Seems his thing with Bella didn't end well."

A growl followed by a yelp sounded from the edge of the room, and Tanya noticed Victoria looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel. Tanya raised an eyebrow at the other vampire, but Victoria just shook her head and waved her off. Jane was smirking on the other side of the room.

"So, the Cullen's will be joining us," Victoria said getting up from her seat. Tanya nodded. A sinking feeling built in the pit of Victoria's chest. "I'm going to go out for a hunt."

"Already?" Irina asked suspiciously. "Didn't you just hunt a day ago?"

"Trust me," Victoria said. "If we're going to be dealing with the Cullens, you're going to want me at full strength."

Before anyone could ask her what she meant, Victoria was out of the house and into the woods. She raced past trees and underbrush following her instincts to the very town Isabella had been in early. She was much more direct about her hunting than Isabella. While Isabella preyed on predatory men, Victoria was much less picky. The first human she found alone was drained and stashed minutes after arrival. When she finished, she reached out in her mind to the thread that linked her and Isabella. Her mind followed it along until she was sure she could figure out where the newborn was, and then she took off in that direction.

This was going to be trouble. There was no way Isabella was ready to see them. There was no way Victoria was even ready to see them. Jane was going to have to melt her brain to keep her calm, and Isabella wasn't going to be calm unless they somehow invented a method to sedate vampires between then and noon the next day. All Victoria could hope for was that the lack of Edward's presence would be enough to keep either of them sane.

It's not like Victoria was blood thirsty—but they had killed her mate. James was an asshole and as much as she loathed to admit it, he had his death coming. That didn't mean Edward's life wasn't forfeit in her eyes or even in the eyes of the law. Killing vampires wasn't really illegal, just frowned upon. Don't kill the wrong person was closer to a law than no murder—a law Isabella took advantage of whenever she got the chance.

When Victoria got close enough to Isabella to smell her, she could see a small puff of black smoke rising above the tree tops in the same direction. She followed it for another mile or so before she stumbled across a clearing with a cabin situated in the middle. It would have been quite picturesque if it hadn't been on fire. Isabella's scent surrounded the place.

As she stepped closer to the fire, the smell of blood suddenly overwhelmed her senses. She moved around the corner of the cabin to find Isabella calmly tossing pieces of stone into the blaze. On closer inspection, Victoria could see they were actually pieces of a vampire. Isabella treated it like the most casual thing in the world—like she was just putting a few logs on a fire, not burning someone's remains.

The smell of the blood was coming from behind her, and Victoria looked further past to see the body of a young girl laying in the snow. She was covered by something black—it looked like Isabella's robes, but Victoria couldn't be certain. Blood was seeping from a wound on her neck, and her chest was shuttering with each unsteady breath she took.

Victoria returned her eyes curiously to Isabella, who was now looking at her. Victoria opened her mouth to ask what had happened but Isabella shook her head and returned to tossing pieces of the vampire into the flames. Victoria watched on in silence as Isabella finished burning the remains, and then turned her attention to the girl on the snow-covered ground.

For a second, Victoria thought Isabella was going to bite her, but instead, Isabella paused over her prone body. Wave after wave of emotion flowed through Isabella as she looked at the girl.

Anger and disgust at what the man did, resignation over her death, and most startlingly, pity. Victoria could tell Isabella was reliving something in her past. Something worse than Victoria had done to her.

Isabella whispered something softly to herself, "I wish someone had been there to vote no for me…" It sounded like a distant memory. She quoted it like it had been branded to her brain. Victoria didn't know what memory the quote was attached to, but she knew what it meant for the girl.

Isabella sat next to the girl and placed the girl's head gently into her lap. She stroked the girl's hair softly before gripping her over the ears and quickly snapping her head to the left. Her heartbeat stopped seconds after. Isabella picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the burning cabin. She watched the flames then glanced down at the girl. The wave of sadness that rocked through Isabella's body, shook Victoria. But what further rattled Victoria's normally calm demeanor was Isabella pulling her shield up over her body and stepping directly into the burning building. She was in there for now more than twenty seconds—long enough to lay the girl, robes and all, across a table that had not yet begun to burn and return to the outside.

Wordlessly, Isabella began to walk away from the fire. She walked at a human pace to allow Victoria a moment to catch up. They walked along quietly together for nearly ten minutes before Victoria lost her patience.

"So, um, what the fuck was that?" Victoria said quickly.

Isabella paused and glanced casually at her maker. "I thought it was fairly clear. I killed a vampire and a human."

"Cryptic much," Victoria said. "Why?"

Isabella sighed and turned fully to face Victoria. "I was running through the woods trying to get away from Tanya, who just wouldn't leave me the hell alone. I came across this cabin here and the smell of another vampire, but they didn't smell like one of the Denalis so I investigated. It was a newborn. He'd taken a young human girl. I found him…" She shuddered slightly as she tried to say it. "He was on top of her, inside of her. I tore his head off and set him on fire which coincidently set the whole cabin on fire. I pulled the girl out with me."

"And you killed her because…" Victoria said.

"She is too young to change," Isabella said. "It would have been illegal."

Victoria knew there was more to it so she waited. Isabella didn't open up much, but Victoria wasn't going to let this go and Isabella knew it.

"What did you mean when you said you wished someone had been there to vote no for you?" Victoria asked quietly.

Isabella sighed again, dropping her head and shaking it. "It wasn't me who said that…" she said. "When I was human, Edward didn't want to change me—something about damning my soul. But everyone was suffering because of me, because I was human, and all I wanted was to be changed, so one day, we put it to a vote. Each of them gave a yes or no. Rosalie—well that's what she said. She wished someone had been there to vote no for her."

"Rosalie…" Victoria said. "She's the blonde one right?"

"Yeah," Isabella said with a nod. "Her change was violent too. No one ever straight up said it, but it didn't take a genius to figure out she'd been raped."

Isabella turned away from Victoria and looked out into the forest. She took in a deep breath, soaking in the comfort of the green air. "I might be a monster, but no one deserves that. No one deserves to live with that, especially not a child."

"Who knew you'd care about a Cullen?" Victoria said trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't give a fuck about any of them," Isabella said with the exact amount of vehemence Victoria would have expect. "I just hate Rosalie a little less than the rest. She was always up front with me. She had no reason to stick around. I can respect that even if I didn't like it. Besides she was right."

"Right?" Victoria asked. She couldn't believe she was getting this much information out of the newborn. She was rarely this open about her history. "About?"

"I put her family in danger," Isabella said. "I cared more about being around these people who felt like gods to me, than what it was doing to me or them. I felt like being around them made me just a little bit more special. I don't blame her for seeing through it."

Victoria said nothing and just started walking again. She wasn't going to keep pushing now, Isabella would keep talking if she felt like it. They walked on in silence for several more minutes. Victoria wasn't exactly sure where they were going, but Isabella seemed to know so she just followed.

"She's kind of like you," Isabella said, not looking at Victoria. "Intentions were always clear. I may not have liked them, but I always understood. Any wrong you both did to me was understandable. I never understood what happened with the others which is why it's harder to move past. Except maybe Jasper. An empath surrounded by the bloodlust of seven other vampires is bound to have a harder time. I can sympathize with that I guess."

Victoria sighed knowing she was going to have to tell Isabella soon about the Cullens. She didn't want to, especially when Isabella was so relaxed right now. It was comforting to see the newborn almost content, even if she actually was trapped in memories she'd rather have left behind.

"Isa…" Victoria said slipping into the nickname she rarely used for the newborn. She stopped walking and waited for Isabella to turn and look at her. "You know that ever since we joined the Volturi, I've only tried to help you and protect you right?"

Isabella didn't say anything, only looked at Victoria. Victoria could tell the newborn's shield was down and she felt along it to see how Isabella was feeling. She seemed to be okay; curious, hesitant, maybe a little suspicious, but overall okay.

"I need to tell you something," Victoria said. "I need you to try and stay calm for me." She reached forward and grabbed Isabella's hand pulling it up against her chest in anticipation for a panicked or angry reaction.

"Okay…" Isabella said, scowling at the accusation that she wouldn't be in control of her emotions.

"Tanya received a call while we were at the house," Victoria said. She paused making sure that Isabella was with her. "It was from a Cullen. They will be arriving at the Denali's house tomorrow afternoon."

The reaction was slow to build in Isabella. It wasn't the instant burst of angry Victoria had expected, but rather it grew like a flame from embers that Victoria had added the fuel to. Her chest started to heave slightly as she struggled to keep control of her emotions. Her eyes had gone black almost instantaneously, but that had been the only instant reaction.

Isabella's grip on Victoria's hand tightened and then tried to pull away.

"No," Victoria said. "Stay here."

Isabella's eyes locked on Victoria's and fire spread through her body, thick like lava. A rumble started in her chest.

"Victoria," Isabella said tightly. She was struggling to keep calm. She was trying. She was trying so hard. She clenched her eyes tight together and focused on the way Victoria's chest rose and fell under hand as the older vampire took unnecessary breaths in tempo. She heard a cracking, likely coming from Victoria's hand which she held like a boa constrictor.

"I know," Victoria said. She never understood where these feelings came from—these feelings of protectiveness and empathy for her childe. They should have hated each other, and here she was being the rock that Isabella needed so desperately. "I've got you."

"What do we do?" she asked tightly as her muscles relaxed. She continued to focus on Victoria, and only Victoria.

"I think we need to tell Tanya who you really are," Victoria said cautiously.

"No." Isabella left no room for question.

"Then you're going to need to control yourself," Victoria said. "Jane won't take too kindly to you losing it on them. She'll get you pulled from duty."

Isabella nodded with her eyes closed tightly as she took one last deep breath. "Okay, okay, I'm okay."

Victoria watched her as she slowly reopened her eyes, then released Victoria's hand. "You're getting better at that," she said with a smile.

"I suspect it won't be so easy when they are actually standing in front of me," Isabella said.

"Well at least you won't have to deal with Edward," Victoria said.

"Huh?" Isabella said, mild shock present in the way her mouth formed an O.

"Yeah," Victoria said. "Apparently he's not with them."

"Weird," Isabella said. She wouldn't have suspected it, but for now she wasn't going to question the blessing in disguise.

Victoria hummed softly, and grabbed Isabella's hand again, tugging her in the direction they'd been walking before. "It is, but I'll be there with you the whole time. You're not alone."


End file.
